Pokemon Heart Gold - Journey Through the Storm
by Gurablashta
Summary: My Heart Gold run using some of my favourite pokemon. Trainer Gold has just begun his Pokemon journey, armed with a trusty, if mischievous, Totodile. But after 3 humilating years Team Rocket have finally risen from the ashes, hellbent on controlling the world. And there are other forces at work...
1. Prologue

******So here it is, my attempt at a Heart Gold run. Here goes nothing, as they say. Couple of things before we begin: This fic will contain various swearing, what you could perceive as animal cruelty, and acts of violence. Nothing your delicate minds can't handle J. My Pokemon world is basically a collage of the anime, manga and games mixed with some personal input. In this world, guns have no effect on Pokemon (to be explained later). As such, crime syndicates cannot exert force through firearms, making their job considerably harder. Parliament, the Army and the police force all exist, but the people of Kanto and Johto are largely independent. I dedicate this to the memory of my "Best Fwend" Hugo Chavez, who died much too young :D Enjoy, R&R.**

Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon that abomination Bidoof, that disgusting furball Patrat and that shameful example of a Pokemon Vanilluxe would be out on their arse.

**Prologue**

"_Human"._

The voice was cold and imperative, but not unpleasant. There was something so commanding, so summoning, about the voice that he could not even dream of doing anything else but listen…and obey.

"_Wake, Human"_

The human in question slowly opened his eyes. At first he could see nothing, nothing at all. But as his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness he took in his surroundings. He seemed to be in a dark basement.

"_Look. Up."_ The voice again. He looked up immediately. "Perhaps not in a basement" he thought, as his eyes took in the sight. He was in a tower, a wooden, burnt tower. He'd never seen anything like it. Despite it's wrecked, burned appearance, the tower still stood, seemingly solid, reaching towards the sky with no end in sight. The roof had been burnt away and the stars were shining outside. The sight was eerily beautiful…

"_Indeed."_

The human froze. This voice could read his mind, hear his thoughts. He looked down quickly and scanned the dark room he was in. Rubble was everywhere, strewn about the tower. In the distance, he could make out three dark, four legged shapes. As he squinted to get a better look they stepped out into the dim light.

Raikou was first, it's yellow fur on end. Hackles raised and sharp teeth in plain sight, it advanced slowly. The human sensed anger emanating from it, not soley directed at him, but at the world in general. The Pokemon prowled quietly towards him, then veered left, finally sitting very still and staring very intently at him.

Entei was next. While Raikou emanated anger, Entei emanated something different. This Pokemon was royalty, his fur majestic, his walk regal. Every gesture made by this creature calmly stated one thing: Power. A sense of justified arrogance followed it. As the Pokemon ambled forward to the right, opposite Raikou, The human sensed that despite his strength, Entei was not the leader here. He struggled to remember the legends. There were three legendaries. Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres were of the sky…while over the land of Johto raced Entei, Raiko and…

"_Suicune". _The voice sounded amused. As the human looked on, the last of the legendary trio walked slowly forward, coming to a rest in the centre of the other two. All three were staring intently at him, but he had only eyes for Suicune. The Pokemon's eyes were amber in colour, and had a hypnotic quality to them that would have made a Gengar jealous and a Drowzee to shame. This last one emanated a sense of tranquillity and calm. The moonlight shone on it's fur like diamonds. Despite this calming presence, he felt slightly apprehensive. What in Arceus' name was he doing here? He could not remember his name, his face, anything of his identity or his past. All he knew was that three legendary Pokemon were staring at him, judging him.

Then Suicune spoke once more.

"_We have work to do"._

At that moment hell broke loose inside that cold, dark tower. Lightining cracked and Raikou roared, followed by Entei's much deeper growl. The heavens seemed to open up, and a torrent of rain poured down through the gaping hole in the ceiling. Only Suicune sat calmly, while the other two roared. The human, drenched to the bone, stepped back, terrified. Over the din he heard two distinct noises. First a bird-like shriek, then another sound, beautiful and terrible at the same time. Then the world went pitch black.

**I ask nothing of you except a continued read, a review now and then, and a pie, Banoffee if you have it. Hope it wasn't too bad :) I've already written half of the first chapter. Smell ya later!**


	2. Chapter 1: Receiveth

**Here it is, the start of "Teh Jurneh!". I've always wanted to do a Gold fic… Though the first game of the series I ever played was Pokemon Blue, belonging to my cousin, my very own first game was Pokemon Gold. The times we had… Feraligatr, Nidoking, Ho-oh, Victreebel, Lanturn, Ursaring… my first ever team. This is mainly the reason why my starter is Totodile, not only for sentimental value, but also because Feraligatr is probably one of my ****favourite**** Pokemon ever, competing for first place with other two little monsters that we'll see later on in Gold's team… Anyway, enough gabbing. Please enjoy what I have to offer and review if you so wish, something that would be greatly appreciated. ON WITH THE SHOW!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon Magikarp's Splash would be the strongest move in the game. **

**Chapter 1: ****Receiveth**

**New Bark Town, Johto.  
**

"Gold. Gold. Hey, Gold?". The voice floated through Gold's brain for a second, before waking him with a start. His mother was on her knees next to him, smiling at him as usual.

"Gold, time to wake up, dear." She told him fondly. Her son simply grunted in reply. He groggily sat up and rubbed his eyes. He'd been having weird dreams again, but he couldn't quite remember what about. Certainly not with his mother shaking him as she was, nor with all her Pokemon interrupting his train of thought at every opportunity. As if on cue, her Raichu bounded in, jumping up on the bed eagerly. Gold sighed, saying goodbye to any chance of recalling that moment. _"Never any peace in this house"_ he thought tiredly, as he scratched Raichu's ears. At least Marowak kept to himself.

"Come on, honey. Professor Elm has been asking for you and it's 10 o'clock already" His mother said, bending down to pick up the dirty plates and laundry her son populated his bedroom with. "Your breakfast is downstairs". She told him, exiting the room and heading down to the kitchen. Raichu snuggled up to Gold lovingly one last time, then ran after his mistress, chanting his name. Just as the Pokemon broke contact, the boy felt a flash of something warm for a split second. Then it was gone, like a small jolt of electricity

Gold sighed once again, then scratched his head sleepily and got out of bed. After throwing on his red hoody, some baggy trousers and his cap he headed downstairs, looking for his socks. As he passed by the mirror set up near his bedroom door he peeked at his reflection. His face, with bags under his eyes, came into view. As he observed himself he tried once again to remember the dream he'd had the night before.  
Before he could fully concentrate, however, he felt Flareon's warm body brush against his leg, distracting him once again. He sighed yet again and reached down to pet Flareon around the ears. "Come on, Flare. Time for breakfast" he smiled.

-

"Any idea what Professor Elm wants from me?" asked Gold, tucking into his cereal with gusto. His mother always said he could eat enough for an entire army.  
"No idea, darling" said his mother "but whatever it is it sounded important.". She reached down to give Flareon and Raichu their breakfast. "But be nice to the man, will you? He's an old friend of Professor Oak. You know we go back a while". "I'm always nice!" said Gold huffily, spooning another mouthful of cereal and almost choking himself in the process. "That man is a genius" said his mother, absentmindedly patting her son on the back. "A real pioneer in the evolution field, He's found out all kinds of things! Take Rai here". She pointed at the electric Pokemon, who beamed, his cheeks stuffed with food. "His base form is a Pokemon that until three years ago nobody even knew about!" Katherine moved back to the kitchen to prepare food for her Golduck. "Hey! Maybe he wants to give you your own Pokemon! You're certainly old enough, and with me and your father travelling all the time, you'd at least have some company".

"I wish, Mum, I love spending time with your Pokemon, and all you and Dad have told me about Pokemon journeys have made me wonder what my own would be like." The 16 year old mused.

"I know, dear. But ever since Venus's pregnancy and us moving to New Bark Town, I've had some trouble talking to Sam about giving you your starter. Still, Johto is full of different Pokemon and you could do something completely different from what me and your father did when we were kids".

"We don't even know what he wants, Mum, let's not get our hopes up." He smiled. "I'll go feed Venus and the others down by the water". He got up, kissed his mother on the cheek, then grabbed his backpack and the feed. "Thanks Gold. And remember to take your Pokegear! And don't let those Sentret steal it again!" His mother yelled after him. "And if you see Marow, tell him to come in for a bit! All that guarding and watching must be tiring…"

After feeding Golduck and Dragonair down by the lake and petting a heavily pregnant Venusaur, Gold made his way towards the Professor's lab, stopping to observe the place where he lived. New Bark Town, though beautiful, was a sleepy town on the border between Kanto and Johto, with a small stretch of water separating the two regions. He privately he hoped that Elm really _would_ give him a Pokemon, so as he could get out of this sleepy border town and see the world.

As Gold walked he on his way he saw his mother's Marowak staring intently at something. Marowak was always alert and attentive, always expecting an attack of some kind, and he regularly patrolled the route between New Bark and Cherrygrove as if he were a militiaman. Gold had never understood why exactly Marowak was like this, but when he'd asked his mother various times she'd refused to answer and always looked close to tears.

Marowak's gaze was fixed on a young man looking in through a window of Elm's lab. Despite his attempts to remain inconspicuous, his flaming red hair made it rather difficult.

"You alright, Marow? Gold asked, rapping his knuckles gently on the Pokemon's head. The Marowak didn't respond, but simply pointed at the strange man and growled. "Let's go see what he wants" Gold muttered, curious as to what the stranger was doing. There was something about him that was off, even when seen from distance.

"So this is the famous Elm Pokemon lab" the red head murmured, staring intently inside. As he saw Gold nearing him, however, he jerked away with a start, a murderous look in his eyes, which darted towards the Marowak behind him.  
"What?!" he growled "Mind your own damn business!"

Before Gold had a chance to even reply the man shoved him backwards, toppling him over. As he fell to the ground Marowak had swiped at the red head's feet, knocking him down, then jumped onto his chest with a snarl, brandishing his bone club and pressing down on the boy's neck.

"Marowak! No!" yelped Gold, getting up and attempting to pry Marow away before he did anything drastic. As he touched the Pokemon he immediately felt a connection open up with the Pokemon's deepest feelings.  
His rage, his frustration!. Marowak wanted to murder this boy! Every fibre of the Pokemon's body wanted to raise the club and bash it into the kid's skull. All it took was one second but Gold learned more about Marow in that second than he had in his whole life. Fighting to keep control of the situation Gold focused all his strength on pulling Marow away, yelling his name as he did so. Suddenly Marowak went limp, and Gold caught a fleeting glimpse of something else, something desperately sad… Then it was gone and Marowak was on his own feet, glowering at his victim.

The boy got up, poised to counterattack. Then he noticed the curious glances from the citizens of New Bark Town who had stopped to watch the scene. Dusting himself off, he pointed a finger at Gold.  
"Fuck the both of you" he snarled. Then he ran, racing for the trees that covered the back of the lab.

"You okay?" Gold asked, panting. What the hell had just happened to him? The Marowak simply nodded gravely, his composure regained. Without further ado he turned and walked off, club in hand, towards his mistress's house. Gold shook his head slightly, trying to recall what he had just experienced, but an excited yelp from inside the lab distracted him once again. Shaking his head, he headed inside.

He'd been in Professor Elm's work lab a few times before, and it had always been messy. This time however, it was chaos. Elm's Furret was running around the lab, grabbing at papers that were flying around, while Rufus, Elm's lab assistant, hurriedly tried to clear the table of its contents: week old Chinese food, bits of Pokeball and a collection of papers.  
Elm, meanwhile, was frantically trying to close a window, the cause of the latest commotion that had disrupted him from his work. He wasn't having much success…

"Professor? Professor Elm?" Gold asked tentatively. At the sound of his name the Professor stopped what he was doing and turned, squinting through his dirty glasses at the source of the voice.  
"Gold! Hello!" He beamed, shaking Gold's hand firmly. "Sorry about the mess, it's absolute chaos in here. We've been getting all sorts of reports done on Pokerus, and Beech from Goldenrod keeps phoning me up about… never mind…" He sighed.  
Gold knew how busy the Professor was, and how scatter brained the man was. His mother always said that Elm usually lived in a world of his own, where only research on his beloved Pokemon existed.  
His parents and Elm were old friends, having all worked for and studied under the legendary Samuel Oak.

"Hi, Professor. My mother said you needed me?" said the boy. Before Elm could reply his Furret grabbed hold of something quickly climbed one of the bookcases with the object in his mouth.  
"Furret! Get down right now! And drop that!" Yelled Elm, gesticulating wildly at his Pokemon. Furret giggled and dropped what he was holding: a shiny red and white Pokeball.

"That little monster will drive me crazy one day" Muttered Elm to himself, polishing the Ball on his sleeve. "Listen, Gold, I need to ask you a favour. I have an acquaintance called Mr. Pokémon, up past Cherrygrove. He keeps finding weird things and raving about his discoveries. Anyway, I just got an e-mail from him saying that this time it's real. It is intriguing, but we're busy with our Pokémon research and things are really hectic today. Could you look into it for us?". Without waiting for a reply, Elm rushed off, clutching the Pokeball. He then began to hurriedly look through a drawer "Rufus! Where did you put the other two!? Oh, nevermind". He snatched another two Pokeballs out and turned.

Gold felt his heart leap. "_This really is happening". _ He thought excitedly "_I'm finally getting my very own Pokemon!"  
_  
"I don't expect you to do this for nothing, so I tell you what" Elm babbled on. "I'll give you a choice between these three Pokemon so they can accompany you on your errand". As he saw Gold grinning like a madman he smiled at the boy's obvious happiness. "I'm giving these starters to two trainers who are coming over later, but you can pick one now". He pressed the buttons on all three Pokeballs, releasing the three.

Out of the two he had taken from the drawer appeared a pale green Pokemon with a leaf on its head, a Chikorita, and a small green hedgehog like creature, a Cyndaquil. Out of the last ball, the one Furret had snatched, appeared what looked like a tiny blue crocodile, a Totodile. As the last one materialized in a flash of white, Elm winced. "That one has been no end of trouble. Bit me in 4 different places just yesterday…" He rubbed his hand, which Gold had just noticed, was heavily bandaged. "Take your time, Gold".

The three Pokemon grouped together on the floor of Elm's lab, glancing curiously at the excited human staring at them. As Gold stepped towards them with his hand outstretched, the Cyndaquil sniffed it, interested. The Chikorita smiled shyly, then turned away, distracted by Furret and its antics on the bookcase. The Totodile however, never took his eyes off of Gold, a mischievous grin on his face. As Gold's hand hovered in front of him, he lashed out, latching on to it with his rather powerful jaws.

Gold roared in pain and surprise, throwing his arm in the air in an attempt to dislodge the Pokemon. Totodile sailed through the air, landing comfortably in Gold's arms. The 'mon giggled in delight, then nuzzled up to the boy lovingly. Though his hand was throbbing in agony, Gold had to admit, the Pokemon was damn adorable.

As he held the Totodile in his arms it happened again. Just for a split second, he once again felt his feelings, his needs and wants. This Totodile wanted to go with him, travel with him, grow with him, play with him, maybe even bite him a little. Again, Gold paused, confused. But the moment was too good to waste worrying. Besides, he had made his mind up.

Grinning like an idiot, he turned. "This one" he said simply. "Thank Arceus!" cried Elm. "That little terror has been a complete nightmare! Do you have any idea what he did to my shoe? And that paper on STAB? And my LUNCH!?" Sighing, he handed over the Pokeball, officially making Totodile Gold's first Pokemon.

"Mr. Pokémon lives near Cherrygrove, the next city. It's almost a direct route to there. Here's my phone number in case you need anything." He smiled. "Thanks so much, Gold. Maybe this time Mr Pokemon has something real to show us. He tried to show me a Magikarp scale that gave extra brainpower to humans a few months back. Absolutely ridiculous…".

"Thanks, Professor. I'll be back in an hour or so. Shouldn't be too difficult." Replied Gold. As he walked off with his new Pokemon he pondered. "What should I call you? Jaws?" The Totodile grunted, then nipped at Gold's shoe. "Okay, not Jaws… How about… Terrorcroc? Ow! Okay… How about Gryer?"

The Totodile looked up pensively, his tongue between his sharp teeth. Then he smiled and nodded, obviously content.

"Okay then. Gryer, I feel like this is the start of a beautiful new friendshi- OW! You little…!"

Gryer giggled in delight once again. This was going to be fun.

-

"Hey Mum, guess what Elm gave me!" Gold yelled excitedly, walking back into the house with Gryer in his arms. His mother, followed by Flareon and Raichu, walked into the room.  
"Say hello to Gryer!" Said Gold proudly, holding him up. "He's adorable!" cooed Katherine, coming up and tickling the Pokemon's stomach. Gryer cackled and squirmed like a child, then tried to bite Katherine's nose "Little rascal, I see".

"Almost bit my hand off" grinned Gold,setting him down. Raichu, as friendly as ever, immediately starting chasing Gryer around the kitchen. Flareon, a little shyer, waited a few moments, then joined in. Golduck, the calm one opened his eye at the commotion disturbing his meditation, while Dragonair, coiled on the sofa, cocked her head interestedly. Marowak solitary as usual and the morning's events seemingly forgotten, sat on a chair, polishing his club and observing the game. Venusaur, so pregnant she could barely move from her corner of the house, simply smiled, happy that her mistress's son finally had a Pokemon of his own.

"I'm off, Mum. Elm asked me to go up to Cherrygrove on an errand. I'll be back later" Gold informed her.  
"Okay, dear. Be careful and watch out for your new friend. He seems pretty excitable. And for the love of Arceus, Watch out for those Sentrets!

**Well that's the first chapter done. I'm kind of proud of it, to be honest ****  
I cannot stress how difficult it was to find a nickname for my Totodile, as Feraligatr is a bit too long (assuming Gryer will even reach that stage DUN DUN DUN). It took me at least an hour and I couldn't make up my mind between Gryer and the famous Riptide.**

Speaking of Gryer, he's based on my Heart Gold Totodile, whose stats are as follows

Gryer, Totodile lvl 5  
met at New Bark Town  
Nature: Naughty  
Mischievous

**All Katherine's Pokemon are based on a Fire Red run I did a while back. Good times, good times.**

Read and Review in the name of the fight against Communism!...or in the name of making me happy

Happy Mother Lover's Day. Even if it's not…

Gurablashta.


	3. Chapter 2: Silver Eggs and Crystal Bacon

**Chapter 2: Crystal Eggs and Silver Bacon**

**Alrighty then, Chapter 2 is up! All hail the new Pope for granting us this miracle!... Oh wait, he had nothing to do with it…**

Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon I would have put a stop to the Fire/Fighting starters after Infernape. Emboar, you're just smoky bacon and you know it.

Route 29 was the only way to Cherrygrove Town from New Bark. It was a peaceful, quiet route, populated by Pidgeys, Rattatas, Sentrets and the odd Spearow. Gold and Gryer strolled along, with the Totodile chasing after anything that moved in the hopes of biting it, while his trainer checked his map to make sure they were on track. As Gryer attempted to bite a scurrying Sentret's hindquarters, Gold took a moment to look at his new companion, pondering on what the Pokemon had done to him the first time he had held him.

It had been a strange feeling. As he watched Gryer run around on his stubby legs, he remembered how it had started. A tingle in his fingers that had shot up through his arms and engulfed his whole body. Whatever it was, it hadn't hurt, but the result had been so strange that Gold worried a little. Then again, maybe he had spent too much time in New Bark Town and was going crazy. No one could feel what Pokemon were thinking, feeling, experiencing. Not even the most skilled trainer or researcher. And he had only just met Gryer. Whatever it was, it made Gold uneasy. Though the morning was warm and sunny, he shivered, a cold sensation running down his spine.

Gryer, oblivious to his new master's musings, quietly stalked into the long grass, his eyes fixed on his prey, a Rattata sunning himself on a rock. This is what he loved, being out of his stuffy Pokeball and chasing things. The Pokemon, though very young, could no longer be considered a baby. His legs were longer and he could walk quite fast before falling over. His arms, stubby as they were, had sharp claws that could seriously hurt, though not kill. His dorsal fins were still too small and undeveloped and despite being a Water type, he had never actually been in his natural environment. Gryer was the human equivalent of a 7 year old child, but he acted like a 3 year old.  
He had always been rather naughty. Even his mother had gotten angry with him at some point, snapping her large jaws in irritation as her son bit her ankles and would not budge until something else caught his attention, usually another target. He had driven the handlers of the reserve completely mad, so much that they picked straws when it was time to feed him.

This human, however… Gryer paused his activity and stared at the boy for a second. At first glance there seemed to be nothing remarkable about him, but for some reason Gryer had immediately wanted to go with him, wherever it was. And the human had accepted without hesitation. There was something about him, something inspiring…  
At that point he stepped on a twig, snapping it and alerting the Rattata, who scampered off quickly. Cackling in delight, he raced after it, blundering through the tall grass while his trainer called after him.

Having caught up to Gryer, Gold could see the Rattata had backed itself into a corner, with his tormentor advancing menacingly. Suddenly the rat Pokemon charged and hit the Totodile square in the chest, knocking him down. Quickly Gryer picked himself up and dusted himself off, then turned towards Gold, the expression on his face asking, quite clearly, "Well? What now?"

"_My first battle" _thought Gold excitedly. He'd used his mother's Raichu a couple of times against the kids next door. But that had been for fun and had always ended up with Rai tackling everyone to the ground and cuddling them. This was the real deal. Him and his new companion had encountered their first trial… in the form of a small purple rat, who was gnashing his teeth and growling angrily at the pair. Then suddenly he charged again, running at great speed towards Gryer.

"Gryer, dodge and use Leer!" Gold yelled. Deftly stepping aside so the Rattata sped past him, Gryer then glared at his opponent disarmingly. The Rattata faltered for a second, its defences dropping for a second.  
"Now use Scratch!" Gold ordered, his excitement growing. For the first time in his life, he felt like he had a purpose. This was what he was good at, fighting alongside his Pokemon, trusting them and them trusting him.  
As Gryer scratched the rat's underbelly, he could not help himself and let out a wild whoop of joy.  
"Now, Tackle!" The young trainer positively screamed. Gryer nodded and, without further ado, slammed his body into his opponent, who was thrown back. Rattata tried to stand up, but his small legs gave way underneath him and he slumped to the ground in a faint, defeated.

"YES!" Gold cried. His first Pokemon battle and he had passed with flying colours! Gryer also looked pretty smug, as he pranced around, chanting his name.  
"Now we know we're ready for Cherrygrove" grinned Gold. As he smiled he took out some food from his pack and left it next to the defeated Rattata, shooing Gryer away as he trotted up to try and steal it. It was considered the right thing to do if a trainer left food next to a wild Pokemon after a battle. The Pokemon Rangers were especially zealous about this unwritten rule, and Gold agreed with them whole heartedly. That way, when they woke up a few moments later, the defeated Pokemon could recover quickly and return to their habitat to lick their wounds.

"Let's go, Gryer" said Gold, picking up his friend, who was still trying to sneak in and steal the food.

* * *

Seventeen battles later they arrived at Cherrygrove, and Gold was feeling invincible. They had defeated more Rattata, plus an assorted collection of Pidgey and Spearow, a particularly hardy Geodude and a wily Sentret who had tried to steal Gold's Pokegear.

Cherrygrove didn't have much to offer. Like New Bark Town it was small and quiet, with a dozen houses and a small beach, plus a Pokemon Center and a Pokemon Market. As the duo sauntered through the tiny town, Gold wished there could have been a Gym, just so he could have proved his mettle in the first hours of his journey. The euphoria and the excitement still hadn't worn off, and his mind kept wandering, allowing him to picture himself standing triumphant as the Pokemon League Champion. _"A guy can only dream" _sighed the wistful young teen.

They ended up at the Poke Center. The eerily cheery Nurse Joy and her Chansey giggled and took Gryer away for a few minutes, restoring his strength through potions and massages. The more suspicious folk claimed that the Chansey actually took your Pokeballs and dropped them into a furnace, then replaced them with identical balls kept in a huge vault underneath the Centers.

After eating and paying, they left for Route 30 and Mr. Pokemon's house. Near the exit Gold couldn't help hearing a conversation between an old man and his daughter.  
"…Just bumped into me and knocked me down!" The woman cried indignantly. "Turned and basically sneered at me and my Jigglypuff. Arrogant little redheaded bastard…".  
The old man simply shrugged. "This generation is going to hell, I've told you before, Gerta…"

Both of them glared as Gold walked passed, as if he were responsible for the shortcomings of his generation. The description given by the woman did make him wonder, however.  
Who was the redheaded man who had pushed him and almost been clubbed to death by Marow, back in New Bark ? What was his name?

* * *

Mr Pokemon's house was right next to Route 30, which led to Violet City. After battling their way through more Rattatas, Pidgeys and a few Caterpie, they arrived at their destination, where they were greeted by a smiling old gentleman.

"Come in, come in! You must be Gold. Elm said you would drop in" the man beamed. As the pair stepped inside they looked around. Mr. Pokemon's house was very much like a museum, with ornaments in glass cases placed all around the place. Rare coins and artifacts were scattered across various tables, while a dusty old drawing of the alphabet hung on a wall. Gold stared for a second at the picture, wondering. Whoever Mr. Pokemon was, he had obviously travelled a lot in his youth.

The man disappeared for a second, returning with a small shiny Pokemon egg. "I want Elm to look at this carefully, boy" he said, holding it out gently. "It obviously isn't a normal egg" Gold took it gingerly and examined it. Though the shell was beautiful, with blue and red circles all over, it hardly looked remarkable.

"How can you tell?" he asked curiously, as Gryer sniffed at it, cautiously. "It looks like a common Togepi egg. I've seen loads of these at Pokemon reserves".  
"Well, that's because you are not a professor or a researcher" said Mr. Pokemon huffily, his good cheer temporarily evaporating. "Show me an egg with those symbols on it" he pointed at the base of the egg. There seemed to be some strange shapes on it, but Gold could not understand them. One of them looked strangely like a heart…  
"That egg was given to me by the Kimono girls, boy" said the old man, with an ominous tone in his voice.  
"Who are the Kim-" asked Gold, but he was cut short by another man's voice.

"Francis? Francis? Where have you gone? Look, I've got to go, Mary will be worrying where I am, right before the…" Another old man came out of a room. This one wore a white lab coat and had sandy, greyish hair. His faced seemed stern, but his brown eyes were filled with kindness. Gold instantly recognized him. He was considered one of the greatest Pokemon researchers of all time, who had helped hundreds of young trainers by giving them their first starter, including his parents, while, at the same time, discovering many secrets about Pokemon: Professor Samuel Oak.

"Ah, there you are…who's this?" the famous professor asked.  
"We've met before, Professor" grinned Gold, offering a hand. The last time he had seen the Professor, three years ago, he'd been playing catch with Rai and Flare and the trio had toppled a bookcase in Oak's lab, causing widespread chaos.  
"Ahh yes, you're Katherine and John's son" Oak smiled with a twinkle in his eye, implying he had not forgotten their last encounter, then shook his hand firmly "Gold, if I'm not mistaken. My, you've  
grown...How's your mother? Her Venusaur still with her?"  
"Yep, she's about to give birth" smiled Gold. "Venus, I mean"  
"Good, good, and your father? He dropped in to see me around five months ago in Pallet" smiled the old researcher.  
"He's in Hoenn, doing something on Mount Pyre with a Professor Birch" Gold's dad was a Pokemon Ranger and researcher.  
"Ah good, as long as he has that Charizard with him, then nothing will happen to him" said Professor Oak. Looking down suddenly, he noticed that Gryer had sidled up to him and had started gnawing on his shoe.

"Is he yours?" He asked curiously, as he lifted the naughty Totodile up and began looking him over gently.  
"Professor Elm gave him to me today" said Gold proudly. Oak nodded and reached into his pocket, bringing out some Pokefood for Gryer, who squealed in delight and devoured it in seconds.  
"He's a fine specimen" smiled Oak, setting him down and patting him. "And he seems to be growing quite fast. Must be the effect you have on him"  
He was now staring at Gold curiously " I think I understand why gave you a Pokémon for this errand. To researchers like Professor Elm and I, Pokémon are our friends. He saw that you would treat your Pokémon with love and care. …" He moved closer, still staring intently. "You seem to be dependable. How would you like to help me out?" His hand dove into his pocket and brought out a red object, no bigger than a wallet.

"See? This is the latest version of Pokedex. It automatically records data on Pokemon you've seen or caught. It's basically a hi-tech encyclopedia! I want you to have it" Oak placed it in Gold's hand, leaving him speechless. This was the second priceless gift a person had given to him in one day. And Oak wanted HIM to do a job?  
"I've stayed too long, I've got to get to Goldenrod for my talk show… I'll see you later, Francis, and we'l talk more about these Ruins. Bye, Gold, I'm counting on you" With that, he hurriedly ran out the door and released a bull-like Pokemon. "Tauros, let's go" he commanded, and in seconds he had galloped off into the distance.

"Give my regards to Elm, won't you?" said Mr. Pokemon. "Don't worry about Sammy. It's kind of his thing, giving encyclopedias to kids then asking them to go on long, dangerous journeys for no pay whatsoever... Anyway… don't break that egg!" With that, he pushed the pair out the door, shutting it firmly behind them.

Gold just stood there, while Gryer sat next to him, gnawing once again on his footwear.  
"Wow" was all Gold could say.

* * *

His Pokegear went off as they walked back through Cherrygrove. It was Elm, and he sounded distraught.

"Gold? It's me. It's… It's... terrible! Please, get back here now! Arceus, I can't believe this happened!"  
With that, he hung up, leaving no chance for Gold to respond. Concerned, he started to put his Pokegear away, when something collided with him.

"Ow!" Gold yelped, as he fell to the ground. In the distance he heard "See Dad? That arrogant little shit thinks he can knock anyone down!", then he was looking up, up into the eyes of the redheaded boy from before.  
"You again?!" The kid yelled angrily "Watch where you're fucking going!" He got up, quickly, then stopped suddenly as Gryer threw himself at him, tiny jaws bared. "… You got a Pokémon at the Lab. What a waste. A wimp like you. … See, I too, have a good Pokémon! I'll teach you not to mess with me!"

Reaching for his belt, he pulled out a Pokeball. "I'll show you what I mean!" He yelled aggressively, and released the Pokemon inside it. A flash of light and a tiny Cyndaquil appeared.  
Before Gold had a chance to react, the kid roared "Cyndaquil, use Tackle!". Cyndaquil charged and hit Gryer squarely in the stomach, winding him. "Tackle again, while he's dazed!" Yelled Redhead, and Cyndaquil complied, delivering another blow to the Totodile's stomach. As Gryer reeled from the second hit, Gold yelled "Gryer, use Rage!".  
As Cyndaquil prepared to strike a third time, Gryer lashed out angrily. His clenched fists hit his enemy right on his long snout. "Don't give him time to breath! Use Tail Whip then Rage again!"

Redhead's Pokemon doubled back, seemingly tired, and gasping for air "_It's just a baby"_ realized Gold _"This guy must have stolen it from Elm! I've got to finish this quickly and get that Cyndaquil back!" _  
"Cyndaquil, I want a Smokescreen!" roared Redhead. Cyndaquil let out a burst of black smoke from its back, which covered a small area and hiding him from view.  
"Gryer, end this! I want a Tail Bash on him before you lose him completely" ordered Gold, The Pokemon nodded and entered the smoke. A _thwack _sounded out, confirming that Gryer's tail had found it's target. Then the Cyndaquil was hurled out of the smoke.  
"Hmmph, you're doing pretty well for someone who's weak" grunted the kid.  
"End this, Gryer! Knock him out!" ordered Gold. Gryer waddled calmy over to Cyndaquil, who was struggling to get up. With an evil grin on his face, Gryer took hold of Cyndaquil's face…and headbutted him hard. Cyndaquil shuddered, then lost consciousness. Redhead had been defeated.

"Give back the Pokemon you stole!" Gold yelled angrily, starting to advance.

Though he'd lost, Redhead still looked disdainful. He walked slowly toward the Cyndaquil and looked down in disgust.

"Do you want to know who I am?" He asked arrogantly, not taking his gaze off of the fainted Pokemon. "My name is Silver, and I'm going to become the world's greatest Pokemon Trainer! This was just a small setback…"

He spat on the ground, then quickly recalled his stolen Cyndaquil and, before anyone could stop him, made a dash for Route 30. His grey eyes were hard and the look on his face was murderous.

"That was pretty good" said a voice behind Gold. Turning around, he saw a girl in a lab coat grinning at him. "You should think about taking the Gym challenge" she said. "With your talents, I'm sure you could get two or three badges…"  
"Who are you?" Gold asked, as he walked over to Gryer to check him for bruises or cuts.  
"Elm sounded pretty anxious when he called" The girl said, shrugging. "Apparently he needs us back at the lab. You're Gold, right? Gold nodded.

"My name's Crystal. I'm Elm's Field Assistant. Nice egg you have there…"

**Sorry this took so long to update. My exams are starting this month, which means I have a limited amount of time I can dedicate to this fic until half June. The only reason I managed to update at all is because I have food poisoning and decided to take a long break. Urgh…  
I want to thank Galefire for being the first to review this amazing piece of work **** Cheers man! And also you, dear reader, for dedicating enough time to…well… read this.**

**Couple of things. 1) I'm giving certain pokemon certain moves that they should already know, such as Totodile with Tail Whip and Tackle. I mean really… He has a friggin tail!... Also I'll be adding a few moves I invented, such as Tail Bash, just for fun :D**  
**2) I decided to give Silver a Cyndaquil because I'd already taken Totodile, and between Meganium and Typhlosion I reckon Typhlosion suits Silver more. Also I don't think Type advantage is absolutely necessary to win, just careful planning and strategy.**

**In the words of Porky Pig: "That's All Folks" For today at least. Writing 3000 words with the constant need to barf is kinda difficult.**

**See y'all later. Don't forget to read and possibly review if you think I'm doing an outstanding, or outstandingly shitty job ;)**

**Gurablashta**

**PS the Chansey thing is based entirely on a picture I saw on the Internet. God it made me laugh…  
PPS I took this chapter down because I rewrote some parts as I was not completely satisfied. Damn my OCD...**


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